After Jim Thome signed autographs and leaned in to take a photo with the family that retrieved his latest home run --- career No. 609, and the walk-off blast in the Phillies' 7-6 win over Tampa Saturday --- the future Hall of Famer thanked them.

He. Thanked. Them.

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That's James Howard Thome, the most likeable man in baseball who also happens to still own one of the game's most ferocious swings that can change a game at a moment's notice.

No less than 10 minutes after Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save opportunity of the season, walking off the Citizens Bank Park mound to a chorus of boos, Gentleman Jim stepped to the plate in place of the closer in the bottom of the ninth.

He worked a full count. He unleashed one of his signature ferocious swings.

"Everyone knows," Juan Pierre said of the ballpark's anticipation with Thome up. "Everyone is thinking it."

Thome did it.

Rays left-hander Jake McGee threw eight straight fastballs, and the last one, a 97-mph heater, was laid out on the outside part of the plate. Thome unwound and deposited the ball into the left-field bleachers.

"That felt great, it felt great," said Thome, who was still beaming 10 minutes after hitting the game-ending bomb. "First of all you have to credit them, they battled back. It was a great ballgame. A great ballgame. We battled back as well. It's a big win for us. Hopefully we can build from this, get going and start playing some good baseball."

The win was the third in the last four games for the Phillies, who moved out of last place for just the second time since May 5.

Thome is tied with Sammy Sosa for seventh on baseball's all-time home run list. But no one in the history of the game has hit more walk-off home runs than Thome. The solo blast Saturday was the 13th walk-off shot of his career. He entered the day in a six-way tie with a Who's Who of power-hitting Hall of Famers: Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth.

"I guess that shows he can still hit them," manager Charlie Manuel said of Thome, who had been 0-for-12 as a pinch hitter this season. "I think he loves to hit and still loves to play. The more you like it, the better you do it."

"These are moments, you never know how long you're going to have them," Thome said. "And when they happen you enjoy them."

The home run was even more meaningful for Thome as it clinched win No. 900 for Manuel, the former Cleveland Indians hitting instructor who helped mold him as a hitter.

"To do that, to accomplish that for him, help your club win, that's kind of the ultimate," Thome said.

Thome's homer brought a sold-out crowd of 44,878 fans to their feet. But even as it cleared the fence and sent the Phillies to home plate to greet the day's hero, the game-ending hit may not have been the most impressive home run of the afternoon.

The other long ball came from a guy who entered the day with 592 fewer career home runs.

Five innings earlier, with the Phillies facing a 3-2 deficit, Pierre lined a 2-1 changeup from James Shields into the right-field seats.

When the ball turned into a souvenir and Pierre rounded first, pumping a fist, the home dugout erupted.

"Pierre's got power," Manuel said of the bunt-friendly veteran's 17th career home run in 13 major league seasons and 7,729 plate appearances.

"It shocked me coming off the bat," Pierre said. "I was just trying to get a base hit up the middle like I normally do, but he left it up. That's one of the few times you'll see me smile going around the bases. The guys were giving me flack, and I told them 'C'mon guys, I've only hit 17 of them, so you've got to enjoy it.'

"That's got to be the first time that a guy with 600 homers and 17 homers hit them in the same day. They had a bet going that he may hit a triple before I hit a home run. So I got him on that one."

Jimmy Rollins also homered for the Phillies. Rollins, who has five home runs in his last 21 games, hit a two-run shot in the third inning after Kyle Kendrick drew a walk.

Rollins' homer helped carve in to an early 3-0 deficit. Pierre erased the deficit.

After Papelbon blew his first save of the season, giving up back-to-back, two-out, run-scoring hits in the top of the ninth, Thome erased those runs, too.

"I couldn't be happier for anybody else in this clubhouse," Papelbon said. "I've got to do a better job myself and come in and do my job.

"I came in the clubhouse (after the blown save) and I said, 'Whoever walks this guy off, I'll give him five grand.' I didn't think Jim would do it right off the bat."

Papelbon said he already had a check written out with Thome's name on it.